


The Call

by Blackadder261



Series: Altered Fates [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: All Hell Breaks Loose, Alternate Universe, Early Powers AU, F/F, Minor Rachel Amber/Chloe Price
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-05-16 05:05:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14804930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackadder261/pseuds/Blackadder261
Summary: Chloe's world has fallen apart. Everything she once took for granted has gone to hell. Desperate to distance herself from the pain, she finds herself far from Arcadia Bay, and armed with a phonebook and memories. Trying to find a face she never thought she'd see again, in a town she never thought she'd set foot in, and reconcile three years apart. What's the worst that can happen?





	1. Worlds Collide

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea popped into my head during a creative lapse on A New Horizon. "What if _CHLOE_ went up to Seattle and tracked Max down, instead of it happening the other way around as it did in canon?"
> 
> Thus, began this story. Hope you find it as fun to read as I did to write it.

_February 13, 2011_

Chloe lay on the hood of her truck, on one street or another,watching the wisps of clouds float by. For the first time in forever, all she had was time. Emotions had blurred into one another, bled like inks in the rain. The faint sting around her eyes was only a buzz now. The last day, or however long had passed, was a black and grey blur. The argument with Joyce, and later David. Getting  _punched_  in the face by David. Rachel deciding to "take a break" from their relationship. Every other shitty thing that had happened in that time flashed through the back of her mind. She could faintly feel the cigarette still between her fingers, smouldering. She brought it up to her mouth, taking in another lungful, before exhaling and closing her eyes. Again, the memories fresh in her mind returned to the forefront.

 

  _22 hours earlier..._

"Chloe, will you just shut your mouth for once and listen to me for a moment?" The blonde's agitation was becoming more evident in her voice. Especially after an hour of trying to explain her intent, and making no perceptible progress. She'd had one purpose in coming here today, and this was it. It killed her to admit it, but Chloe was pushing her to the limits. Had been for weeks, at that.

"Er, no. Why don't  _you_ fucking pay any attention to me? Besides, what the fuck do you mean by  _taking a break from us_? Am I just something you can opt in and out of?"

Rachel slammed her fist down on the makeshift table, making Chloe jump back slightly. "No, fucking hell, that's not what I mean." Chloe pulled back, raising her hands.

"Okay. Why the hell should we need to take a break then?"

Rachel sighed, smoothing a hand over her hair, and trying to find a way of putting what she had to say into the right words. "It's just..."

"It's me, isn't it?" Chloe's eyes widened as the thought hit her between them. "You don't want to take a break from  _us,_ you wanna take a break from  _me_ , don't you?"

"Look, I..."

"Rachel, stop avoiding the question and give me a straight answer for once."

Rachel grabbed Chloe by the collar, dragging her until their eyes were level.

"Why do you have to make things so fucking hard, Chloe? I say we should take a break and you jump to so many conclusions that's it's impossible to get through to you, okay?" Chloe swore she saw a few tears in her eyes as she released her grip a little on Chloe, causing her to lose balance and fall backward. The sky above had darkened since they got here and this conversation had started, as if to be some kind of fucked-up joke from the gods.

""It...is. It's you, I guess." Rachel stood up from her seat, leaving Chloe lying on the floor.

_Oh shit. I've fucked up again. I've really really fucking messed this up this time._ As Chloe scrambled to her feet, Rachel turned around, the streaks down her face far more obvious.

"Chloe, just...stop, okay? This is hard enough to do, without you... being you." With that, Rachel turned, and left Chloe standing in the hut.

The footsteps on the mix of leaves and debris outside receded, as Chloe paced up and down, trying to control herself.

_No no no! Why does everything keep fucking crashing down on me?_ She paced up to the wall. One with hers and Rachel's names on.

_Fuck. This. Fuck all of this._

With an anguished cry, she balled her fist and pelted it into the cinder block beside it. Again, harder this time. The sharp pain as her hand connected with the stone gave way to a numbness, but she kept punching it. Finally, Chloe collapsed against the wall, arms covering her head, sobbing away to herself. behind her head, a small trickle of blood ran down the wall, down from where she'd been striking the wall. Chloe staggered out to her truck and slammed the door, before everything around her receded into black.

 

Chloe started awake again. It was dark, or at least it felt like night. A knock on the truck window made her jump. A torchlight shone through the window, though it was unlike any she'd seen before. 

"Where ya' headed, kiddo?"

Chloe's eyes shot open in surprise, as the blinding light died away to reveal the figure, dressed in an Oregon State Trooper's uniform. 

"I'unno, dad. Anywhere but fucking here."

William frowned. "That's another one f-"

"For the swear jar. Yeah, I figured." Chloe interrupted, much to William's surprise.

"Well, what do you plan on doing now? You can't go home and you can't go near Rachel, so by my count, that doesn't give you many roads to go down."

Chloe sighed and put her hands behind her head. "I... I don't even know any more." She stole a glance at him. "Even being with you, right now. That seems a great idea right now."

Another frown. "Darlin', you can't just up and leave this place. Think of those who need you. Mom, your friends..."

Chloe held up a hand, interrupting him.

"You must've been living under a rock for the past week. Mom would probably be happy never to fucking see me ever again... and... what fucking friends?! The only thing I have close to a friend just fucking disowned me! Besides, what the fuck's to stop me, if I want to?"

"She's not your only friend, Chloe," William started, shaking his head. Chloe flinched, realising he was no longer _outside_ the truck, but next to her. A hand on her shoulder, almost making her recoil. "And you've got a point. I can't stop you. Just like I can't stop these scars being there, or more coming after them." Chloe turned her head to face him, tears in her eyes, to find she was alone, yet again. Starting the truck, she set off, northbound. Headlights blurred into one another as she passed them, as did streetlights, as did road signs. The last things Chloe remembered was pulling off the road and shutting the truck's rickety engine off, before collapsing under the weight of fatigue and a broken spirit, and letting the comforting blackness overcome her.

 

The rays of sunlight glinting off of the mirror and into the cab abruptly ended another bad night's sleep for Chloe. Squinting out of the windshield, she realised she'd almost ran headlong into a sign. 

**_WELCOME TO OLYMPIA- AN ALL-AMERICAN CITY._ **

 Chloe leaned back in the truck.  _Olympia? There's no Olympia in Oregon, so where the fuck am I?_  A click of the fingers.  _Course, still got that roadmap I "liberated" from the purges of Sergeant Douchebag._ A faint chuckle escaped her lips. She clicked open the glovebox. As the lid fell, a portable cassette player fell out along with the map, Ignoring the map for a moment, she picked up the battered plastic and studying its contents. A tape, with the message  _'I'm Sorry'_ written on it. Everything else faded into the background, as she stared at the battered tape player. Her eyes began to sting again as the memory of that day came to mind. A handwriting Chloe knew all too well. Despite her protests, the voice in her head won over, as she popped the cassette out and slotted it into the truck stereo. The cracked voice as known to her as the handwriting on the front came over the speakers.

_"Hey... Chloe... this is Max. I guess I just wanted to leave you one more message. Because I know this was the absolute worst time for me to go. I thought maybe, if you heard my voice it could be a little bit like I was there. I don't know, maybe this was a dumb idea. I would give anything to be there with you now._

_It's so hard, trying to say what I'm thinking. If I could just see you... But we'll get good at it--great at it! We'll write and talk all the time. And then you'll come visit and it'll be like I never left. I mean it, you don't have to worry about anything changing. You're dealing with so much other stuff. You don't deserve any of this._

_Chloe, listen. Even if I never--even if we're moving for good... We're always together, okay? Even when we're apart. We're still Max and Chloe. I will always, always love you. Goodbye."_

 

The tape ended with a click, leaving Chloe sobbing silently to herself, barely aware of her hand creeping toward the bloodstained shard of metal in the door pocket. She jerked it away, staring at it as though terrified as to what it'd do next. Knowing what her inner thoughts were pushing her towards. It wouldn't have been the first time that week, either. Or the second, or even the fifth.

_What the fuck is wrong with me? I think about her for a minute and I'm practically slitting again. Fucking loser you are, Chloe._ Her eyes were drawn back to the map, as she buried the player as far out of sight as she could. Tracing a finger across it, she located herself after a few bouts of cursing the map.  _Olympia... Washington State, huh? Waitafuckingsecond... Seattle is only, like, an hour from here!_ Her ecstasy was cut short for a moment, when she glanced at the fuel gauge.  _Uh....that should be enough, I think?_ Without a second thought, Chloe hit the road again, only barely keeping the truck to the speed limits.

 

The trip should've taken her an hour and a half, but Chloe managed it in a little under an hour. More accurately, limped into the gas station just inside the city limits, her truck running on fumes. A brief search of her truck turned up some of the money she'd earned doing odd jobs and deeds- not all of which being good- to try and get by. Chloe stumbled out of the cab, having almost fallen over the bag, with her 'survival pack' in it: a mix of spare clothes, the odd marker and some weed, buried in there somewhere. Still not walking quite straight, and having made sure she'd not be walking the rest of the way, Chloe made her way to the counter to pay.

"Pump, uh... y'see that truck there?" Chloe gave in, resorting to pointing at her truck. The cashier raised an eyebrow, believing it to be a prank of some kind.

"That... _Thing_ , doesn't even look like it should be on the road. Maybe in a junkyard, definitely not on the road."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at the clerk. _'Asshole, my truck kicks the ass off of your shitty Honda any day'_ was what she wanted to say. Instead, she simply grunted, before her eyes fell upon a phonebook lying on the counter. Her eyes lit up a little. Phonebook. Local numbers. Bingo.

"Er, yeah, maybe my truck is a little worn. Say, is that a phonebook for Seattle?"

The cashier scoffed. "No, it's for Ottowa. What's the big interest in it, anyway?"

"Uh, a number, obviously." The cashier narrowed his eyes at her, disapproving.

"I don't see how someone like you would have a use for a phone number round here." He deadpanned. Chloe bit her tongue, fighting the urge to send a volley of abuse his way. He tucked the book under the counter. "Run home, kid. Assuming that shithole of a truck isn't your home." Chloe scowled and turned, hurting at that last outburst.  _What if he's right, and my truck is all I've got now?_ As Chloe headed out of the door and back to her truck, a smirk appeared on her face. The cashier's car was parked around one side of the forecourt building, out of view of any prying cameras. An idea formed in her head, as she parked the truck just out of sight of the window and strolled toward it, marker in hand. A quick glance, and the fun began.

_The lesson, asswipe? Don't treat your phonebook like it's some sacred fucking artefact._ Chloe chuckled, admiring her handiwork: A Gollum-ized caricature of the cashier clutching a phonebook to his chest, with a speech bubble of  _"myyyy precioussss!"_ next to it. Checking over her shoulder, she strolled back toward her truck, a slight skip in her step as she visualised the jerk-off's face when he saw her handiwork. A little way up the road, her radio caught a local station.

 

_"Oh, I'm tired and I'm bored_

_We've waited by the shops for like an hour_

_Just to get to some cans of 'bow_

_It's sad, but days they slowly drag_

_Let's call the local slag and sing it louder_

_Then we ever have before-"_

Chloe couldn't figure why, but she was grinning like an idiot.  _Firewalk, and a plan like this. Boo-yah._ The road ahead opened up, as the closed-in treeline boredering the road gave way to a suburb. A phone box sat on the corner of the street as Chloe shot past it. Before jumping on the brakes and reversing back to it. Slamming open the shutter door, Chloe found a battered book sat by the phone, dated 2010.  _What are the odds they've moved in a year?_ A frown, thinking back to that day.  _Then again, what did I think the odds were of her moving away, ever?_ Shrugging it off, She rifled through the phonebook, eyes flicking back and forth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Calson, Carlton.... Caulder-_

"Hey, girl, hurry up in there, will ya?" Chloe glanced over her shoulder, seeing a slightly rotund and balding man stood on the pavement, looking like the sort of tourist that had been vomited out of Florida, with the whole psychedelic shorts and shirt, hat that didn't quite fit his head, and glasses that barely hid the extent to which he'd burnt in the sun. Chloe bit her tongue, trying not to laugh hysterically at the guy.

_Who the fuck let him dress himself? Or, maybe, did he escape from some kinda acid-testing facility? Pffft..._

"You hear me, dumbass? Hurry the fuck up, already!" Chloe stopped and took the book in hand, turning to face Mister Eyescorch.  _Fuck, I need a better name for him than that._  

"Gah, dude! How am I supposed to find a number with your damned sense of dress burning my eyes?"

"HEY!" Sunbeam-  _Not great, but.... sucks less, I suppose-_ was pissed. Royally. Then again, it was hard to tell whether it was sunbeam or him going crimson with fury, nonetheless it only added to Chloe's near-hysterical state inside at the clown's lack of style.

_Shit._ Chloe weighed her options. 

_Stay and bitch-slap this fuckhead? Nope, he's not my type._

_Run him over? Uh... hell no, that'd be abuse to my truck._

Chloe clutched the book to her, walking backward towards the passenger door which was in line with the sidewalk.

 "Where'd you think you're going, bitch?"

Chloe nodded in his direction, as though to gesture over his shoulder "You dropped something." Sunbeam turned, and in the brief moment he was distracted Chloe hurled herself into the truck, started the engine and tore past him.

"You dropped your acid!" She howled at him through her laughter as she made for a quieter part of town, so she could finish her search in peace.

_Caulder, Caulen..._ Her heart skipped a beat as the name came up, top of the page, before abruptly sinking.

_Caulfield. Oh. Fuck, there's like thirty Caulfields in here!_ Chloe growled irritably, throwing the book onto the dashboard.  _I've come all this way, had this much crazy shit happen and now I can't fucking find her? What kinda sick joke is that?  Caulfield, I oughta fucking kill you when I find you. Who puts their best friend in the world through this shit and expects them to fucking cope? _Grabbing the phonebook off the dash, she looked again at the various Caulfields listed.

_J and M Caulfield, no..._

_M and K, no_

_R and W, no,_

_V and R... Vanessa and Ryan. I think this is what I'm looking for._ Taking a note of the address and number, Chloe pulled alongside the nearest trash can on the street. Taking it in her hands, she gave it once final look.  _Farewell, fare oracle, for you have served me well._ With that, she hefted it into the can and headed further into the city.

That, brought Chloe to where she was now. Lying on the hood, blunt in hand, staring up at the clouds and asking herself the same questions she had been for an hour, maybe more.

_What if she really did forget about me? Will she recognise me? What's she gonna react like? Or her parents, sure as shit they're not gonna like me barrelling into their world and blowing it the fuck up._

One last drag, before the smouldering article was flicked away. Chloe sat up, and took her phone from where it had laid beside her. Her thumb hovered over the green button. A button, she figured, that could easily do more damage than a damned nuclear launch. All the while, figuring out exactly what she wanted to say to ~~the backstabbing bitch of a so called motherfucking best friend that didn't even bother calling once in three years~~ Max.

_Is it worth it, after all this time? Guess I'm about to get my answer._ She closed her eyes, and dropped her thumb onto the button, immediately bringing the call tone into song.

"No going back now. What happens, happens, Chloe." The voice came from beside her. Chloe glanced up, frustrated, before gazing into the ethereal blue eyes sat beside her. 

"Really? I'd never have guessed that one, dad." William chuckled, as he always seemed to. Chloe could never tell whether it was because he found what she was saying funny, or to mock her. After a while, she'd stopped giving a shit either way.

"Well, I'd never have guessed that you'd take things this far. Figuratively, or literally. I mean, Seattle isn't exactly next door neighbour to home."

"I thought this was what you meant, by  _'not your only friend'._ Besides, Arcadia fucking Bay is not my home. Not without you." William looked perplexed.

"I thought Max made it your home as much as I did, kiddo." 

Chloe gazed across the street. "I used to think so too, dad. Right now, I'm just figuring out whether I'm gonna be down for a misdemeanour or a fucking felony."

William grimaced, glancing at the phone. "I suppose you'll get to find out, now." Chloe turned to look at him, her eyes being met with the street. The dial tone clicked off, replaced with what sounded like rummaging around and faint cursing in the background.

_The Caulfield Residence_

_February 13, 2011_

_11.16 am_

Max stared at the mess of photos on her wall, accompanying the clutter at her feet nicely. School was closed today, something about a meeting or a broken water mains somewhere. Not that it bothered Max much: her parents were at work, leaving her to her blissful solace. A glimmer of a smile appeared on her face as she scanned over the pieces of film on her wall.

_Welcome to Max Caulfield's Photo Emporium. So many photos, so little wallspace,_  she mused to herself.Many were relatively new, having been taken in the past couple of years. Seattle had some amazing things to photograph, and Max had always felt that she could explore the whole city, an infinite number of photographs to be had.  _That's once my parents stop acting like anchors and keeping me locked down at home most of the time. I mean, really, I'm sixteen years old. What's the worst they think'll happen by letting me wander around of my own free will? Getting kidnapped? Mugged? Murdered? Dru... in fact, forget I ever thought that._ Max's eyes panned across the plaster, pinned photos sticking out everywhere, before one caught her eye. It was a little worn in places, the edges looking a little worse for wear than most of the others. Max took it off the wall and had a closer look at it. It was of her and Chloe. Her smile dimmed slightly, as the happiness of that photo was tainted by what Max remembered of the events that were to follow. Less than an hour later, instead of William coming back through the door with Joyce and groceries, it was Joyce and an ABPD officer, to tell them that William wouldn't be coming home. Ever. Less than a week after that, Max was on her way to Seattle. She'd left having left Chloe a cassette tape. That was it. No call, no texts, not even a letter.

_I abandoned her when she needed me. I didn't even have the guts to tell my best friend that she might never see me again. What kind of a best friend am I to do that to her?_ Max broke from her internal monologue for a moment, realising that there were spatters of tears on the Polaroid still in her firm grasp.

_Did I even deserve a friend like her?_

 Again, her mind was drawn away from the thoughts of days past as she stared at the phone on the other side of the room. She'd thought about calling Chloe so many times that it hurt. She'd gotten about as far as having her finger hovering over the Call button so many times in those first few months apart that she'd lost track. Now, she didn't dare even consider calling Chloe. Three years wasn't a blink of an eye by any regard, and Max could only imagine how Chloe would feel. Then again, Chloe  _had_ told her to go and die. Sixteen year old Max found that a little disconcerting. Fourteen year old Max must've run for the hills when Chloe turned around with that. Max shook her head, disgusted that she was trying to justify having not spoken to Chloe since that day. 

_Not that the way we left things helps. Leaving without a proper goodbye, and then never getting in touch again._ Max sighed, thinking of what might've been. The phone that had laid dormant on the other side of the room burst into life, startling her. Stumbling across the disaster zone she called a bedroom, she almost reached the phone before tripping over a box, landing on the floor with a thud and knocking it off its charging stand, which accepted the call anyway. Max swore under her breath as she untangled her foot and searched for the phone which had fallen between two cabinets. A couple of moments later, the handset was hers.

_Score one for Caulfield,_ she thought, bringing it up to her head, before clearing her throat. Not that it helped, as her voice cracked- her least favourite perk of life-and she sounded like a ten year old. "Hello?"

_"Well, there's a voice I'd never thought I'd hear again."_ Max's heart felt like it had stopped dead in her chest. Sure, it sounded a little older and more matured- and subtly, angry- but she'd know that voice in a sea of millions.  _But- But- This is fucking impossible?_

_"What's the matter, hippie? Cat eaten your fucking tongue, or has karma fucking killed you? About damn time it did."_

Max stuttered for a moment, trying desperately to find the words she needed. All she could manage was a half-squeaked, half-choked reply. "C-chloe? H-how are you-"

_"Even here- on the end of this line? A lot of fucking nerve to ask that, Caulfield."_

Max's legs gave out and she landed on the floor, mouth agape, trying to get some grasp on the situation. "But-"

_"Save it. I've three years of getting on a level with you to do. And three years' worth of questions why you never called me. How shitty a friend do you wanna be?"_

Max felt something burning inside her. Not pain, sadness, but frustration. "You're one to talk about fucking shitty friends! You told  _ME_ to go and fucking die that day, remember?"

_"YOU FUCKING TREATED ME LIKE I DIDN'T EXIST FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS! WHAT KIND OF COMEBACK IS THAT?"_ Max opened her mouth to reply.  _Wait a second... I could hear shouting before it came through on the phone. No, surely... _Slowly and carefully, Max moved toward the window, and glanced out. The handset fell from her hand in shock.

 

_Outside the Caulfield Residence, Seattle._

_11.35 am_

Chloe flinched at the loud bang that came down the receiver.  _She probably threw the phone across the room. Max never could handle her temper._  Her reflection was shattered by the sound of a window being flung open and a shrieked voice.

"CHLOE! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING OUTSIDE MY HOUSE?"

The sudden outburst startled Chloe, causing her to fall off the hood and onto the pavement. Face first, as Chloe's usual manner went. Her eyes appeared behind the truck, annoyance written into them.

"Get your worthless ass down here, and I'll fucking show you!" She growled back. The figure at the window vanished back inside. Chloe smiled, grimly.

_Gone and done it now. Best see how this ends up going-_ A figure darting over the fence into the neighbouring house's garden caught her eye. Chloe squinted, clocking the figure.

"Shit!" Not even bothering to open the door, Chloe dived into her truck and fired up, following the street down until a road cut towards where Max would likely appear. As she'd guessed, Max half vaulted, half fell over the fence as she pulled up, her eyes wide with surprise. Chloe dived out after her, dragging the keys with her. Even with the surprise and the advantage of having driven the first bit, Chloe found herself losing ground, lungs burning.

  _Fuck, she's good._ Chloe came to a halt, panting as she supported herself against a fence. She set off again, limping a little as a stitch dug away at her, watching the figure a hundred yards ahead of her. "Hollywood was dead wrong about this shit," she muttered under her breath, "Or maybe, I'm just doing what I seem to do best and ruining everything again." The figure disappeared down another street, Chloe following as fast as she could. She stopped in her tracks as she saw the crowd, and not Max. A head briefly appeared, still moving away from her, but there was no mistaking that haircut. Barging her way through the crowd and getting a lot of heat for it, Chloe finally burst from the far side to see Max turn down yet another street. Chloe stopped again for breath, before following on.

The figure ahead had stopped, having turned down a dead end, about a hundred yards away. Her silhouette getting larger and larger, features becoming more defined again, as Chloe closed in. Tears streaked down her face, eyes red. Chloe's fists were clenched as the anger of three long years readied itself to be unleashed. The distance closed further still. Chloe could see the emotions written all over her face.

_She looks like hell._

_She deserves it._

_Does she?_ Chloe's thoughts conflicted as she made the final few strides towards Max. peering properly into the blue eyes of her once-closest friend, and seeing nothing but pain and fear. No knowing what the pain was from, but the fear of God that Chloe was going to tear her to pieces. A fear that the one person she'd held closer than family now wanted nothing more than to hurt her. As she reached the last foot before her terrified best friend of old, all her anger and rage and hatred evaporated, replaced by nothing except disgust at what she'd done.

_I'm sorry, Max. You deserve better._

 Her emotional barrier shattered under a torrent of tears as she wrapped herself around Max, who was confused and still slightly scared of what Chloe was going to do next.

 Max closed her eyes and tensed up, expecting the mother of all punches to land in her face. Instead, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and a form she didn't need to see to recognise collapsing onto her, crying like she'd never done it before. Max felt more tears welling up in her eyes as she reached around the figure, holding her as tight as she could.

"I'm sorry, Max, I'm so, so fucking sorry."


	2. And After All This Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know it has been an eternity since I updated either story, and I'm sorry about that.  
> My summer was rather hectic at times to say the least, and the next few months aren't gonna be much better. An apprenticeship being my main concern, as it's a 2-hour commute each way (or less if I drive) and a ton of assignments that I'm likely to get given between now and New Year. 
> 
> However, I decided that I was going to make an effort to get this chapter published by the end of last week, but life got in the way of that plan. The usual.  
> Hope it's been worth the wait.

_Seattle, WA_

_February 13th, 2011_

_12.16 PM_

 

The pair held each other's hand tightly as they walked back along the streets. Chloe's heart and mind were still racing as the pieces of what had just happened in the last ten minutes threaded themselves together. She'd basically smothered Max as she broke down, Pouring out three years worth of anguish and torment in the form of incoherent sobs. And Max had just stood there, holding her. Not once opening her mouth to try and soothe her, just allowing Chloe to let everything out. Chloe smiled slightly as she kept thinking of the girl next to her.

 _Holy shit, Max. Three years and you've hardly changed._ Chloe couldn't shake the tight feeling in her chest, stifling, that something was off. Max poked her in the ribs softly.

"Chloe... are you actually remembering to, y'know, breath right now?". Chloe stared at her, utterly baffled by her comment, until she realised that she'd been holding her breath since they had started to walk back. She let out her breath with a sigh, followed by a burst of coughing.

"Fuck. I thought I was having a panic attack." Max raised an eyebrow.

" _You_ having the panic attack? I thought I was the only one of us to ever get those."

Chloe winced slightly, the smile being replaced with an indifferent look. Boy, Max was in for a hella big lesson in what three years of hell had done to her. The only consolation was that nobody had towed her truck, as it still sat at the end of the alley that she'd ditched it at, however long ago. She gestured to Max to get in, only to be met with a half-confused, half-horrified look.

"You want  _me_ to get in  _that_?" Chloe shrugged.

"I'unno. Wanna fucking walk home?" Max relented, opening the passenger door with a creak and apprehensively slipped onto the seat, with Chloe throwing herself in on her side and slamming the door shut, making Max jump. As she started the engine up, Max looked over to her.

"You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

Chloe didn't reply, instead slowly pulling away towards Max's home. Inside her head, she was still fighting the war of how much she deserved to tear Max apart against whether Max actually deserved that to happen to her.

"Wait a sec: why can I see the road through the floor? Chloe, seriously, don't tell me you drove  _all the way_ in this thing!"

"So what if I did? You wouldn't have cared even if you knew."  _How do I know that for sure? Maybe she would._

"Are you fucking cereal, Chloe? You wanna know what I was thinking about all morning, even before you'd phoned?"

"Let me guess, me?" 

Max stared at her, barely believing that this was what the Chloe she'd left distraught back in Arcadia Bay had become. 

"If I'd known this is what was going to happen to you, I'd have fucking hidden. Made sure I'd found a way to stay, not get dragged off to here."  _Yet you didn't. Nearly three years and not a single thing to see whether I was even still breathing._

As the truck pulled up by  Max's house, she sighed with relief. "Good, nobody is home yet."

"Why? Ashamed to show me to your parents?" Max scowled.

"Not in the slightest. It just means less awkward questions to have to go through. Sounds like I'll have enough of those soon anyway." With that Max walked up to the door, Chloe trailing behind closely. After fighting with the keys, and more cussing than Chloe could remember ever hearing Max use, the door was open.

"Welcome to my shitty abode," Max deadpanned as she gave a mock royal gesture. "After you." She led Chloe upstairs, stopping at a door on the next floor. The other doors in the house were white or cream, yet this one was navy blue, almost black. She swung the door open to reveal a bedroom that could've easily been mistaken for Chloe's. Papers littered the floor, clothes were strewn about near the wardrobe, and the space near the wall where her bed sat must've had a few hundred photographs lying near it, overflowing from the box that she'd evidently tried to keep them in.

_I remember how neat her room used to be, only thing she was ever really better at than me. Wonder what changed? Or, did a lack of me give her nobody to compete for cleanliness with?_

 "Make yourself at home. I... gotta go do something quickly." With that, Max slipped back out of the room, leaving Chloe to explore the chaos that was Max's life. She glanced over the papers on the floor briefly.

_Academic results. Huh, guess she finally got good at school without me to help._

Chloe ignored the mess around her wardrobe, instead opting to go through the pile of photos. The ones already pinned to the wall were new, mostly of the scenery around the city as far as Chloe could tell. Nobody else was in the photos, however. Even in most of the ones stored in the box weren't of anyone. Chloe's eyes caught one lying on the bed, more worn looking than any of the others. She picked it up, a small smile coming into her face. It was of Max and her, albeit that the photo was slightly stained with something. 

 _I remember this. We were making pancakes that day._ The smile faded from Chloe's face as she recalled how that day had turned out. As she was about to put the photo back down, she noticed a dampness on her fingers.

_Wait a fucking sec. Are those... shit. Shit. Score one more for Chloe fucking Price, the worst best friend in the world._

Chloe felt her eyes stinging as she sat down on the bed, still holding the photo as she tried to blink away the tears in her own eyes. A few minutes later, with her eyes still red and damp, she slowly opened the door and poked her head out, hearing sobbing from a doorway further up.

* * *

 

Max was leaning against the sink, emotions still pouring out of her and down the drain, when she heard a faint knock against the door.

 _"You okay in there, Max?"_ Chloe's voice lacked the anger and confidence it had had ten minutes ago. 

"Y..yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a minute." The door clicked open, as Chloe slowly stepped inside.

 "Look, I'm-"

"No, Chloe. You're in your right to tear the fuck out of me. I've been a terrible excuse for a friend."

"No, you haven't been. I'm the one who should be sorry, Max. I had no idea." She set a piece of paper on the back of the sink, taking care not to put it near the faucet. Max glanced at it, not needing to even see the details of it to know what it was. Chloe hugged her again, pulling her tight as the tears flowed once more. 

"The fuck happened to you, dude?" Chloe whispered between sobs as Max returned the embrace again. 

"More than you'd ever wanna think of." Max uttered back softly through her own tears.

After what felt like an hour, Chloe eased up and let go of her, before heading back through to the bedroom, Max a couple of steps behind. Sitting on the bed, she found a remote that looked like of like the one she had at home for her CD player. Before Max could protest, Chloe had powered it up. She immediately recognised the intro to the song, melancholy and yet rhythmic all at once. The opening bars of the female lead-  _who is fucking_  hot, Chloe thought to herself-cut in.

> _I am outside_  
>  _And I've been waiting for the sun_  
>  _With my wide eyes_  
>  _I've seen worlds that don't belong_

Max grabbed the remote out of her hands, shutting off the player as fast as she could, face red.

"What's to be ashamed of, Maxi? Ina Morata is fucking-A-Awesome in my book." Max's expression lit up.

"...but, it says hella things about your state of mind. Who the fuck do I have to hurt to get payback for you?" 

Max sat down on the bed next to Chloe, her expression already turning more sullen as she thought back over the years.

"Well, most of the car crash that is my life since we last met started a couple of years back. First, my phone vanished. Which would be fine except that I, being the hopeless ass I am, forgot to write the damned numbers down. Then... things got worse. I still don't know why, and I don't want to know why, but a few people started to pick on me at school. Something about me always being shy. A few turned into a lot, and a lot turned into most of the fucking ninth grade. I turned in on myself. Barely left home. Barely spoke."

Chloe stared at her, almost unbelieving. "No fucking way." Max nodded slightly, before continuing. 

"It gets better. I bounced in and out of the shrinks' office, in and out of hospital. Lost count of how many times I've tried to end this shit."

"B-but... you still had my home phone. Why'd you never call?"

Max looked away, Chloe catching sight of a glistening in her eyes. "After... after how we left things, and so long being silent, I figured the next time you'd wanna see my name would be in an obituary column. Not helped by my parents being at war with each other."

Chloe put an arm over her shoulder. "I had no idea. Fuck, you've had it worse than I have."

"I doubt it. I've only had the occasional nightmare where you'd appear in the room. Usually hating me and wanting to hurt me for being such a fuck-up of a friend. You were having one every night before I got dragged away to this hell."

Chloe huffed, smiling despite her retort. "That was only two days. It got better, gradually, dad only appears when rock meets bottom. I owe him for making me drag my ass up here anyway, seems like you were headed to fuckedsville."

Max smiled, finally. "Yeah, I guess. How's your life treated you since then, anyway?"

Chloe smiled, albeit grimly. "Fucking roses..." She started, as she recounted every detail. Every detail that hadn't been drowned out by alcohol and hangovers, at that. Every tiny detail from Eliot the stalker, to David the stepdick, to Rachel fucking Amber. Max sat agape the whole time. When Chloe finally finished recounting her trainwreck of a life to the present, Max still sat silent, mouth moving up and down like a goldfish, trying to find the right words for the wide variety of feelings Chloe's life to date had given her. Finally, she settled on a response.

"You know... I think we should call it a draw." Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Call what a draw?" Max smiled a little.

"Who's life has been more fucked." an evil smile graced Chloe's face as she reached her free hand over to tickle Max in the ribs, met by playful squeals.

"Noo! Chloe, damn you this isn't fair!" Max exclaimed as she flailed against Chloe, falling off the bed in the process. Chloe chased her off the bed, still chuckling as she lay next to Max amid the mass of clothing, grinning like an idiot.

"This feels like old times. I miss those days so much, y'know? Just being able to play and hang out, nothing to worry about in life."

"Me too." Max replied, faintly. 

"Max, one thing's still bugging the shit out of me."

Max gulped. "Uh...what, exactly?"

Chloe sighed.  _Bet Max won't let me live this down._ "When the fuck did you get so good at running? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were, like, allergic to Phys."

Chloe heard Max stifle a chuckle. "Well, after what happened to me at school, I wound up homeschooled. My parents barely let me go anywhere without them. Except the local athletics circuit. So, every chance I get, I go there. Track, field, photos... it's the one place I've found here that made life worth living for the past few years."

"No shit. Anyway, how'd you think your parents are gonna react when they find me here?"

 Max shrugged. "I have no idea. Of course, we're assuming they're not going to be arguing and throwing things around the minute they're both in the house. That happens a lot more than I'd like."

"Well, there's one upshot to that."

"Yeah?"

"If they don't notice I'm here, I'm less likely to have my sorry ass dragged back to Arcadia Bay." Max looked concerned.

"Why would anyone wanna do that?"

Chloe half-smiled, half-grimaced. "What, you thought anyone knew where I am? Nope, just fucking upped and bailed on  the whole shitshow. I'd be amazed if they haven't tried launching a statewide manhunt for me yet."

Max started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Chloe asked, perplexed.

"A man-hunt won't find you." Chloe looked even more confused.

"How will it not..." she trailed off as what Max had said fully registered. "Ah." Max couldn't contain herself any longer, giggles giving way to full-on laughter. Chloe sat up, breaking Max's amusement.

"What's the matter?"

Chloe glanced down at her, a mischevious expression on her face that Max remembered all too well: the same she'd had when she suggested blowing up the doll in her room.

"Seeing as we're back together and you've been forced into being a hermit... I say we go explore the city. Gotta be plenty of good chow places and photo spots."

"But what if-"

"Fuck the parents, dude- no offence- you're sixteen. You oughta get out and see the world."

Max smiled.

"Maybe leave them a note to say where we've gone, though. More than I usually leave my mom and Stepdouche."

Max looked a little concerned at that, but chose not to comment, instead following Chloe downstairs a few minutes later, leaving a note pinned to the refrigerator.

_Hey mom, hey dad._

_Decided to go out and have a walk around the city, it's a nice enough day. Doors should still be locked unless I'm back. Don't worry about me anyway, I'm with a friend._

_Max_

"What, no mention of me?" Max looked at her in a way that looked as condescending as her next words.

"Think about it, dumbass: If I say you're here and there IS a manhunt back in Oregon, then within an hour every cop in this city will be looking for us. Dodging cops isn't really how I want to spend our first time seeing each other again."

The words bounced around Chloe's head as Max went to check the house wasn't going to be broken into while they were out.

_She just said 'first time'._

_So?_

_So.... First implies 'not the last time'. Or... 'first of multiple times'._

_You sure?_

_I strongly doubt Max would fuck around with me, given the shitstorm that's been her life to date._

_Well, we'll have to-_

"Hello? Earth to Chloe?"

Chloe jolted as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I said, you ready to go?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Let's blow this joint."

* * *

 

One of the first places Chloe had Max take her was her choice of food in town, which was only a block or two away from the university. Chloe winced as she realised what type of cafe it was.

"Fucking seriously?"

Max looked at her, mock confusion written across her face. "Yeah? What self-respecting hipster feeds in any other place than a hipster cafe?" The barista behind the counter looked up as they entered, smiling at Max.

"First time I've seen you out and about in a while, girl. What can I fix you with?" Chloe widened her eyes, as an unspoken question of  _'Where the fuck's my offer of what to have?'_

Max smiled, partly to return the barista's friendliness and partly at the look she could see on Chloe's face out of the corner of her eye. "We'll have a coffee each please, June, and I figure on something to eat. What's good today?"

"Well, the ham and cheese toasted sandwiches aren't bad. We got a new supplier of cheese last week, so they don't taste like they were made in Chem 101." June replied, chuckling as she said it, noticing a slight smile on Chloe's face. "May I ask who you are, by the way?" 

"I'm-" Chloe started.

"-Chloe, a friend of mine from back in Arcadia Bay." Max cut her off, having something of an idea as to what Chloe would say next. Probably something along the lines of 'Miss America', or an equally sarcastic remark. 

June looked surprised. "Wow. Wait, Chloe as in Chloe Price, the girl who's..." Max's shocked expression combined with Chloe putting a finger to her lips was enough to get the point across. She extended a hand over the counter. "Oh. Nice to meet you."

Chloe shook her hand. "Yeah. How long ago did you find out about, y'know,  _that?_ "

"It was on this morning's news. Apparently, you haven't been seen in nearly thirty-six hours. And apparently, you disappeared without trace last night." She answered, as she turned to make the coffees. Chloe grinned. Max left Chloe's side to find a quiet corner of the cafe, not exactly hard seeing as how it was Sunday, and most people were probably either having a lie-in or were nursing  the previous night's hangover.

"Good. I might just consider making a fresh start on life here." 

"Well, looks like you've the perfect person to start with. Take good care of her, please." June commented, looking Chloe in the eyes as she passed her the cups. Chloe noticed a look of worry in her eyes. Chloe walked, precariously balancing the levels of steaming liquid in the cups, and set them down on the table as gently as possible, before half-sitting, half-collapsing onto the seat opposite Max, who was cradling her cup in her hands.

"So, she seems to know you well." Max nodded.

"Yeah. She's one of the rare cases in this town. In the absence of having you by my side, she was the closest thing I had to a confidant. The only person at school I really talked to about anything, and the only person who didn't abandon me at that shit-pit when the nightmare begun."

Chloe pouted a little as she thought on the look in June's eyes. "She looked at me a little funny earlier. I can't put my finger on what it was, either, she doesn't seem to trust me." Max shrugged. "That's June for you: she doesn't trust anyone near me, because she's had to put me back together every time I've trusted and been bitten for it. That, and... she still probably thinks you hate me."

Chloe ground her teeth together slightly. "I can't argue with that." 

Max looked down at her drink. "I'm sorry for being like that all this time. I really should've had more faith in you than I have had, Chloe."

Chloe reached across and took a hold of Max's hands, causing her to look up and their eyes to lock to one another.

"Max, I don't know how many other ways I can put this: you've nothing to be sorry for. I should never have assumed your life would be better because you'd left, the same way I should never have blamed you for leaving. It's not like you'd had any say in it." A slight sparkle appeared in the back of Max's eyes, as she smiled again. Their moment was interrupted by a pair of plates being softly slid onto the edge of the table.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything."

"It's fine, June," Chloe assured her, "and thanks for taking care of Max for me for so long. I owe you, big time." June smiled, nodding slightly, before returning to the counter to serve a group of bratty looking kids who'd just came in making a huge racket. The pair grabbed a plate each, and immediately tucked in. Max stopped eating as she watched Chloe rip into her food like a raptor would probably have ripped into a carcass. Chloe glanced at her, realising that she was being watched.

"What?" Chloe mumbled through a mouthful of sandwich. "I haven't eaten in nearly two days, why else did I ask to come here first?" Max giggled, trying hard not to accidentally spit out her food in the process, before taking a gulp.

"You are still crazy, you know that?"

"Once insane, always insane."

After finishing up their food and wishing June luck in keeping the mob of youths in the cafe under control, the pair begun their exploration of the city. First stop was the shoreline, where Max managed to grab a good couple of photos, one of a freighter coming into harbour, all lights on, and the other of Chloe- not that she knew at the time- looking out over the bay, sat on one of the rocks along the shore.

"You should definitely become a professional photographer, Max."

Max's cheeks reddened. "I doubt I'd be good at it, no way could I compete with any of that art. I mean, have you seen some of the work that's out there?"

"Like whose art?"

"I don't know... art like Mark Jefferson's. He's world-acclaimed, I doubt my work could ever rival something like his."

Chloe shook her head. "I think your art would do great. You capture life itself, even a little piece of it and it speaks volumes. Besides, I've seen that Jefferson's work before. It creeps the fuck out of me. Pretty sure that guy's a pervert, secretly." Max beamed a little. 

"You always have had a way of making me feel better about things Chloe. I just wish I could do the same, some day."

Chloe put an arm around her waist as they walked back along the blackish stone that made up most of the area's beaches. Chloe noticed a poster roughly pinned to the tree, and was drawn to it. It was a reddish colour, tattered around the edges but still perfectly legible: 

_Ina Morata_

_Fisher Flour Mill_

_Valentine's Eve 8pm_

"Holy shit, Max. You didn't tell me they were playing here, tonight!"

Max stood agape. "I didn't even know they were in town!" The ecstatic look fell from her face.

"What's the matter?"

Max sighed. "There's no way I'll be able to convince my parents to let me go to that. They can barely stand me going to the sport centre, never mind a concert."

"So? We're going, and that's all I'm gonna say on the matter."

"But-"

"Quit worrying about how your parents are gonna react. If shit hits the fan, tell 'em I forced you to do it. Held a gun to your head or something."

 "Chloe, that'll just get you into more trouble. I don't want you to get into more trouble because of me."

 Chloe scoffed. "Max, half of Oregon is trying to find me, plus I left a fucking trail of trouble behind me. What difference is a little more gonna make? Besides, this'll be the first time I've gotten in trouble and it'll have been worth it."  _Maybe even worth more than all the trouble I've been in over Rachel..._

Max stood for a couple of moments, conflicted, before hugging Chloe again.

"I owe you big time, Chloe."

Chloe grinned. "Nah, I think we're even again. More or less." 

By the time the pair got back to Max's house, it was 4pm. A pair of cars were on the sidewalk outside.

"Shit, they're home."

Chloe shrugged, hands still on the wheel "We can always just stay out. Get food elsewhere, then come back after Ina Morata."

Max looked concerned for a moment, before a more neutral look appeared on her face. "Let's do that. No need to make things more risky than they need to be."

 Chloe smiled, as she turned the trick around in the road, accidentally cutting another car off, getting a blast of horn in the process.

"Fuck off, asshole!" Chloe shouted out of the window. Looking back to Max, she was met by a raised eyebrow.

"Road etiquette much?"

Chloe laughed. "That ass came out of nowhere..."

"...the other end of the street..." Max corrected.

"...yeah, same difference." Chloe finished.

After a few hours of hanging out on Harbor Island, having been and filled up on food earlier, the time finally came to descend on the old Flour Mill. 

"This place makes the old mill seem inviting." Chloe remarked.

The entrance to the site was blocked off by a six-foot fence topped in razor wire, with a sign about some bullshit Seattle trespassing code. Happily enough, whoever had come before them had taken a set of wire cutters to a section big enough to slip through. Max went first, having no issues . As Chloe attempted to fit through the gap, she managed to ensnare herself, her shoulder having caught on the edge of a cut section of the fence. She jiggled her shoulder, seeing if it would come loose, but it refused to budge.

"Shit."

Max looked back to her, worried. "What's wrong?"

Chloe was startled.  _I just said that out loud, didn't I? FUCK!_ "Uh, nothing, I'm fine."

Max gave her a suspicious glance. "You're stuck, aren't you?"

"No, no, really, I'm fine!" Chloe protested, all the while writhing and fighting against the fence.

"Chloe, you're going to make it worse!"

"Make what worse?" Chloe batted back, putting on a half-smile as she continued struggling. 

"Just let me-"

"I'm fine, Max, seriously!" Chloe interrupted. Max huffed and stormed off in the other direction. Only now did Chloe think to check on her progress in getting her arm free. Or, as she realized, a lack of it. Her arm had slipped through another hole and snagged, effectively locking her arm in place. 

"Perfect." Chloe muttered, stamping a foot down in frustration, before feeling a sharp scraping up her leg.

"OW! Fuck!" She cried out as she tried to pull her foot back up. It rebounded back into place, followed by a little more scraping. Chloe looked down, before groaning a little at her own stubbornness, as her foot was now also through a hole in the wire that was lower down in the fence up to her lower calf, cutting her a little in the process. Worse yet, her foot had bent the ends through and away from her, meaning that struggling further would simply force the ends higher up her leg, while making it impossible to pull back out. That, and she couldn't reach it on account of her arm .  _Great, blood is a fucking pain to wash outta Converse. That, and I gotta ask Max for help now. Ugh, she is going to love this._

"Uh, Max, a little help here!"

Max looked and chuckled initially, before standing on Chloe's trapped side and taking a selfie with her phone, sticking her tongue out with Chloe entangled in the background, and a look on her face like a cat caught with its paw in the fishbowl.

"Now would be nice." Chloe growled at her, starting to feel a heat in her cheeks. After letting her simmer for a couple more minutes, Max finally stepped in to extricate Chloe from the mess she'd gotten into.

"Still as stubborn as ever," Max muttered, as she slowly worked on pushing each spiked end away from Chloe's leg. After what felt to Chloe like an hour, Max had managed to get the barbs away from her calf. Chloe insisted on moving her foot herself, but Max refused, instead being adamant on making sure she didn't get herself back to square one. She took hold of Chloe's ankle with one hand, and her thigh with the other. As she lifted the now slightly bloodied foot free, her hand slipped up Chloe's thigh, making her gasp slightly. Max looked up at her, concern written onto her features. "I didn't catch your foot on anything there, did I?"

"Umm..." Chloe's face came out in a hot flush mostly made up of embarrassment, as it dawned on Max what the gasp was for. She took her hands off Chloe's leg, putting her head in her hands as she shook it, groaning.

"You are fricking unbelievable." She muttered through her hands.

"W-Well, uh... who doesn't enjoy a little, ah, light BDSM from time, to uh..." If Chloe had any shred of her usual confidence and cockiness left, it had just taken a flying leap. Max groaned even louder, sticking her fingers in her ears.

"Stop! Please! I'd like to hang on to my innocence for a little while longer!"

_Smooth move, Chloe. Fuuuck._

A moment or two later, Max stood back up.

"I'm sorry about that, Max, I should-" her apology was cut off by a pair of lips on hers. Max stepped back, making sure to step clear of Chloe's reach as she tried to take hold of Max.

"Oh, I see... taking advantage now, are we?"

Max smiled, shyly. "Something like that." She stepped back in, taking hold of Chloe's still-stuck arm. "Now, how's about we stop screwing around and go see us some epic music?" She asked, as she set to work on pulling the sharp ends of wire out of Chloe's sleeve.

As Max loosened the last of the fence grabbing her arm, Chloe tried to lurch forward, causing her to fall flat on her face. Max howled with laughter as Chloe picked herself back up, her face a picture of annoyance and embarrassment. 

"Don't you dare breath a word of this to anyone Max. Not. A fucking. Word." Max did exactly that, instead opting to walk along with the most smug of expressions, holding Chloe's hand.

"That photo's a keeper, though." Max commented. Chloe felt her cheeks warming up again.

 _Well, that went fucking great. I am such a stupid ass for trying to show off._ She shot a glance at Max, still wandering along with a smile on her face as they held hands.

_She is un-fucking-believable. All this time, everything she's suffered, and yet there's still a little bit of her somewhere under all the armor she's tried to build on top._

They got into the portion of the mill that had been set up as a show stage to the closing bars of one of Ina Morata's songs.

"Nuts. At least they're due to play for another couple hours." Chloe assured Max. The place was already packed and jumping as the next couple of songs wound everyone up to full dance mode. Chloe settled into her usual dance rhythm, glancing out of the corner of her eye to see Max's hilariously vain attempts at dancing. A new song started, [guitar blazing alone, joined by a staccato of drums](https://youtu.be/OH9A6tn_P6g). Chloe grimaced as she recognised the song.

_No, please. Of all the songs you could play tonight..._

The song continued through its instrumental intro, before the opening words came in.

> _If I'm a bad person, you don't like me_  
>  _Well, I guess I'll make my own way_  
>  _It's a circle, a mean cycle_  
>  _I can't excite you anymore_  
>  _Where's your gavel? Your jury?_  
>  _What's my offense this time?_  
>  _You're not a judge but if you're gonna judge me_  
>  _Well sentence me to another life._

Chloe tried to hold it together, but she knew she was falling apart as the tears rolled down her cheek for what felt like the hundredth time that day. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

"What's wrong, Chloe?"

Chloe sniffed as she tried to compose herself. "Just....Just shitty, fucking life."

"So? Take your own advice, fuck it all!"

Chloe looked down, trying to avoid the shorter girl's gaze. "For now, I can. Tomorrow, I'll probably have to go back and face it again." Max tucked her head in against Chloe's chest, forcing Chloe's eyes to meet hers.

"Maybe so. Tonight, it's us! WE are back together! WE are dancing like idiots! WE are back together again, and that's all that matters right now." Chloe wrapped an arm around Max, wiping her eyes dry once more.  _I don't think I've ever felt like this before. Not around anyone else. Not even around Rachel._

"Well, looky here. Always figured you were a fucking dyke." The pair released each other, turning to face their aggressor. Chloe stole a glance at Max, and she looked petrified.  _Huh. This must've been one of the assholes who fucked up my Max._

"Out of my way, bitch." The prick sneered at Chloe. Instead, she moved herself between him and Max. She thought up quickly what she would do to him, all the while amazed the someone with the physical shape of a bowling ball could possibly be a bully rather than a target.

"I said out of my fucking way!" He barked, barging into and punching Chloe in the side of the head in one motion, and knocking her onto the floor with a yelp. Chloe covered her head for a moment as her vision and hearing swam from the double-whammy of fist and cold concrete floor. She looked up to see Max surge toward the now-stationary bully, fists balled, before hammering him in the face with a boxer-like punch, to an outcry of pain. That fist was followed up by a second, and a third, making him reel in agony. As this happened, Chloe got a good look at Max's face. Her eyes burned with fury, a fire that'd put hell itself to shame. She continued to watch, awestruck, as Max continued to pummel him onto the floor, his face a bloodied mess. That, and he looked like he was scared shitless. She grabbed him by the hair, pressing her face close to his.

"Don't you  _EVER_ touch my Chloe again. If you so much as look in her direction after tonight, I will rip you apart." She let go of him, and he scurried away in the direction of another part of the building, with a spraypainted sign for the bathroom on the wall.

_Holy fuckin mother of God Max! When did you... Wait, MY Chloe? Did she mean..._

_"_ Oh my God Chloe I'm sorry! Please tell me you're alright!" Max was kneeling by her side, looking as though she was beside herself with worry. Chloe looked at her, smiling away and still half-dazed.

"Ho....ly....shit. Max, you...are a certified mother fucking badass." Max hugged her tightly as she sat on the concrete, head still clearing, and then gave her a hand to get back onto somewhat wobbly legs. The tempo of the songs had changed, from the riotous tracks that had opened the show to a slightly slower type. Chloe staggered back and forth, still clutching Max's hands as she attempted to dance. Max laughed, and put a hand around Chloe's hip.

"That's not how you dance. Follow my lead, leftie." Chloe hadn't realised Max could actually slow-dance.  _How the fuck did she get so good at this?_ The next minutes that passed were a blur to her, more or less: the music faded, the murmurs and chatter around her subsided, all that she was paying attention to was Max. She leaned in closer, deciding to make good the opportunity she had in front of her. Their lips connected, and Chloe felt almost electric. It was like it had been whenever she'd kissed Rachel, but something about it felt different. Better, even. It felt like it lasted for an eternity, and as they pulled apart, Chloe finally stopped blocking the surroundings out, being greeted by an array of wolf-whistles. Her and Max blushed furiously as the onlookers slowly lost interest in the two girls kissing in the middle of the floor. The place was beginning to empty out as the band packed away. As they walked toward the exit, Chloe noticed a rotund figure appear from the bathroom, take one glance at the pair, and immediately backtrack. Chloe smirked, as she looked at Max.

_In-fucking-credible._

 

* * *

The escape from the mill, via the fence, was somewhat less humiliating for Chloe- albeit not without a  _"Fuck you fence"_ thrown in- as the night drew a little darker. Max pulled out her phone, going slightly pale.

"Oh, fuck. We are dead, we are so fucking dead." 

Chloe placed a hand on Max's, rubbing it. "We'll be fine. Just call her now, put it on speaker, and we'll fix it."  _Or fuck it up. Probably numero dos if I get involved._

Max looked at her, equal parts scared and curious. "Are you sure that this is a good idea?" After a few moments of serious thought, Chloe shrugged her shoulders again and pouted.

"Not in the slightest. But hey, what's the worst they can do, split us up and throw me in a juvi-hall?"

"Chloe, they'd probably send you to prison. Real prison."

"Eh, I'd end up running the block." Max giggled, and hit call, buoyed by Chloe's apparent confidence. Inside, however, Chloe was already fighting herself again.

_Max might be right. What if they do throw me in jail for all the trouble?_

_What trouble? You only slipped away, you didn't exactly rob a bank._

_Vandalism?  
Really? That's all you can come up with, brain? Petty crime and community service, probably removing graffiti around the bay._

Max's call went through. Immediately there was shouting on the other end of the line. Chloe thanked her stars she'd asked Max to put it on speaker.  _Poor Max. She doesn't ddeserve this shit just for staying out until... oh. Shit, since when was it 1am?_. Eventually, the barrage ceased. Something along the lines of "Get your ass home this instant," and "grounded for eternity".

Before Max could open her mouth, Chloe beat her to the punch.

"It's alright, Mrs. Caulfield, we're both alright. Well, better than alright, actually. Hell, I don't think Max will have anything to worry about for some time."

"Oh yes? And who would  _you_ be to decide that? What right is it of yours to say that Max should be out at this hour?"  _Give the girl a break, jeez._

" _I_ would happen to be Chloe. As in Chloe, Max's best friend in the freakin' world Chloe." Chloe dragged a hand down her face as she realised what she'd said.  _Ah, fuck. Well, someone would've found out sooner or later. Oh well, time to ride the fucking storm._

The line was still silent. A little bit of faint chatter could be heard in the background, but nothing that anyone short of Daredevil could've clearly heard.

 "Chloe? You do know that half of Arcadia Bay has been out looking for you, yes?"

"Uh... kinda, I guess? I only found out earlier today. Anyway, we're on our way home now. Don't wait up for us though."

The call cut at the other end. Chloe breathed out a sigh of relief.

"So... now what?" Max asked, still not quite believing what Chloe had done.

"Well, I've either just saved our asses,  _or_ screwed us both royally. Guess we'll find out tomorrow. First, I've still got about a gazillion questions I wanna ask you." Chloe started as they walked along the island to where Chloe's truck was hopefully still parked.

"Fire away."

"Okay... first, where the hell did that come from? With that prick, earlier? I mean, you were terrified one minute, and the next you were  _'don't touch her ever agin'_. I mean, damn, when did my Maxi become frickin' Logan?"

Max looked confused as ever. "I really... don't know what came over me there. All the years of shit from him, and the fact that he hurt you... I guess I just finally snapped. I am so sorry if I scared you, by the way."

Chloe pulled her a little closer, ruffling her hair. "Scared? I'm fucking proud to have a gi-a friend- that can kick the literal shit out of someone like that. Did you see how fast he ran toward that bathroom?"  _Oh fuck, oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. Gone and done it now, She's gonna freak-_

"Were you about to call me..." Max looked at Chloe, who had turned her head away. Max could see even Chloe's neck looking flushed as she stepped into Chloe's path, almost tripping her over. Chloe's face was a picture, blushing like crazy.

"What, is having a crush that embarrassing?" Chloe looked up, horrified.

"N-no, no, it isn't that! It's just I feel like an idiot for going and saying it out loud. I..."

"What if... you asked, and I said yes?" Chloe's heart and mind were at war as they both tried to process what Max had said.

_SHE SAID YES!_

_No, moron, she said 'what if I said yes', not yes._

_SO? SHE FUCKING LOVES ME!_

_Pfft, don't be so sure._

"So, wait, what do you mean?"

"I mean, if that's what you want..."

"But.... does that mean, yes, or no? Shit, I wish I'd never opened by damned mouth, I am such a stupid fucking idiot for even thinking this was-" Max growled irritably, sticking a foot out and dropping Chloe onto the floor with a shocked cry. Max fell onto her chest, to a further grunt of pain. Max put her hands over Chloe's mouth.

"How many more ways am I going to have to say it? Yes, you're a hopeless romantic. Yes, just like we used to, we're like a car crash when we try and do  _almost_ anything, and yes. I'd take that any day. No.  _Every_ day."

Chloe squealed with joy, hugging Max even tighter than before.

"Yes yes yes fucking yes! Oh my god, I can't even believe this is- shit!" Chloe cut off midway through her joy as she realised Max was wheezing, loosening her grip. Max coughed a couple of times, clearing her throat.

"Jeeeez....Chloe, when, when did you become a bear?" She mumbled, smiling between still-wheezing breaths. Chloe jabbed her in the ribs, joining Max as she begun chuckling, allowing Max to roll onto the floor next to her and join her in staring at the mix of star-light and other sources of light in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. Longest chapter I think I've written for any story, ever. Definitely hope it was worth the wait.  
>  _Kinda_ ran out of steam toward the end, but hopefully it still feels right throughout. As for the pre-mentioned canon divergence of Max, I think it's safe to say it's more pronounced in this chapter.  
>  Why is Max somehow more Chloe-esque than any canon version of herself, you may ask? Well, part of the idea is for that to remain a little obscure for now. Art of keeping some element of intrigue alive in the story. Also, the majority of this story is being seen through Chloe's eyes, hence why most of it is biased toward her actions and thoughts. Just in case it wasn't particularly clear earlier.
> 
> As for the follow-on to this story... it's likely to be on hold for some time. As is _A New Horizon_ on account of how little time I have and how much thought I'm going to have to put into the plot points for both.
> 
> Until next time (whenever that may be).


	3. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Max and Chloe have found happiness in each other. Now, all that's left to do is for the duo to face whatever comes next. 
> 
> What faces them, however, neither expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so one of my aims in this chapter is to try and better explain (though not overtly i.e by Max explaining it) the reasons behind Max being as volatile as she was in parts of the previous chain of events.
> 
> Hopefully, by the time I've written this we'll have a meaningful conclusion to this particular tale.
> 
> Also, I apologise if there seems to be an awful lot of time where there is either monologue or whatever near the beginning. I figured a damaged Max wouldn't be keen on explaining all her life's downfall even to Chloe, so I figured our dear bluenette would get her detective cap out of the mothball pile.
> 
> Also, I was conflicted between two titles for this chapter. This, and 'Still Into You' (no prizes for guessing where I got the idea for that one). This won over because I felt it fit in more with the idea in my head of the chapter's plot: one mainly based around the aftermath of the previous two days. S'amuse bien!

_Max's house._

_February 14th, 2011_

_About 11 am_

 

Chloe groaned as she woke up, body stiff all over. Pretty much everything after Max had said yes last night had been a blur. Chloe couldn't even remember how or when the hell they got back to hers. She turned over to see Max still fast asleep, half-clothed. Chest rising and falling, almost kitten-like. Chloe's morning face turned into a far happier expression just at the sight of her.

_Even when she's asleep, she looks adorable. When did my luck take such a turn for better?_

It occurred to Chloe that Vanessa  _might_ have passed the news of Chloe being in Seattle back to Joyce. She grabbed her phone from her lightly holed hoodie, checking it.

_6 Missed calls, Rachel._

_4 new SMS, Rachel. Huh. Miss me?_

**Rachel: I'm so sorry about how I left things! Need to tlk, asap!**

**Rachel: Where r u?**

**Rachel: C, this isn't funny any more! Half the County Sheriff's Office are looking for you.**

**Rachel: Chloe, if you're there... please come back.**

Chloe started to type out a message.

 _'I'm fucking fine, what's with you suddenly caring again you-'_ She stopped, instead clearing the reply line and leaving it unanswered for now.

_I've got a better idea. I'll wait until Max gets up though._

Several more, from people like Steph, David- ugh- and Joyce.

**Mom: Chloe, I'm sorry about how I reacted earlier. Come home so we can talk. David's even willing to apologise, if it makes you any more willing.**

**Mom: Chloe, this isn't good. Where are you?**

**Mom: Chloe, I'm worried. Please come home.**

**Mom: It's been almost two days and nobody has even seen you. I pray to God you're okay.**

Chloe paused reading that message.  _I suppose I should forgive her. I was being pretty shitty with her at the time._ A wry smile.  _In hindsight, a pimp-slapping is probably exactly what I needed._

_Chloe: Srry havent been in touch. Been... busy. Sure you don't know where I am?_

The reply came through a matter of moments later.  _Shit, she wasn't kidding when she said she was worried._

**Mom: No. This isn't some kind of joke, is it?**

_Chloe: Course not. Just figured you'd have been told by Vanessa._

**Mom: Wait... you went to find Max, didn't you?**

_Chloe: Uh-huh. Thank a dad-dream for that._

**Mom: At least I know you're safe. How are things between you two?**

Chloe sat on that message for a few minutes.  _I barely believe how things have gone even when I say it in my head. No way in hell mom will believe any of it._

_Chloe: Uh... pretty well, I guess? I'll explain when I get home?_

**Mom: And when would _that_ be, exactly?**

_Chloe: Was that meant to be rhetorical? Honestly, not sure just yet. Sorry for all the commotion. Also, PLEASE don't mention where I am to Rachel. U can tell her im safe tho._

**__ Mom: Hmm... Very well. Enjoy Seattle.**

No further reply, thank God.

Chloe slipped back into the space of the bed she'd just been occupying, running a hand along Max's still-comatose form. Joy turned to confusion as her hand came into contact with scar tissue among other damage. Curious, and concerned, she slowly pulled away the cover, making as much of an effort as she could not to disturb her. What she saw shocked her. Bruises and still-healing cuts, criss-crossing one side of her ribs. What looked almost like a scorch-mark or branding on the front of her shoulder. The distinct linear scars created at the hands of a surgeon.

 _What the fuck? Who did this to you, Max?_ Chloe pulled the covers back over her, quietly getting up off the bed and pulling on the closest clothes she could find, before backtracking. Even in a city like Seattle, a bedroom on a winter's day was still cold as shit.

 _Wrong clothes. Damn, Max, how can you be this small a size at sixteen?_ Chloe mused as she pried the undersized articles off of her and found her own, then begun to search the room for anything that could give her a hint as to what shitty things in life had found her beloved brunette. The pile of papers on the desk were her first port of call. Most of it was random crap, as well as sketches Max had drawn, but one such paper was marked with a watermark like those used at the Med Center back h- in Arcadia Bay.

_Discharge papers. "Domestic accident"? Fucking broken ribs? I call bullshit._

Chloe glanced at the desk, realising that the paper in her hand was one of about eight. The injuries on each varied, from cuts, to burns, to one which stated her as having been rushed to the ER with what turned out to be a bruised lung. Another paper, that looked to have been a photocopy.

_Custody papers. Fuck, Max's parents are fighting to see who gets her. If this is how they treat her, I think the answer should be neither._

Another paper beneath those, again a photocopy. The styling of it was academic, no doubt about it. As was the address.

_'Dear Mr and Mrs Caulfield,_

_We are deeply sorry about your decision to withdraw your daughter, Maxine Caulfield, from our scheme of education. However, we understand that this decision was not taken lightly, either by yourselves or by the Academy Welfare and Intervention Team._

_We hope that in time, Maxine can recover to flourish at her fullest potential'._

_Why did they pull the plug?_

Another stack of medical documents beloe that. These must have been the various times Max had tried to end her pain. Chloe was stunned by just how many different ways she'd tried to do that. She glanced across at Max, still sprawled on the bed. Her eyes watered slightly.

_It's wrong of me to even think it, but fucking points for creativity, Max._

Psychiatric reports. They seemed to point at her having a form of PTSD among a variety of other disorders.  _No surprise, given the rest of what I've read._ Her eyes caught sight of a diary, poking out of Max's bag. She glanced nervously at Max as she slid it out and into her hands.

_Sorry about the privacy invasion, Max, but I can't let this rest. Not without seeing your take on life to now._

* * *

 

Most of the events toward the start of the diary read as Chloe had expected, given they were dated around the time that both their lives were torn apart. Chloe's name came up frequently. Mainly in the form of guilt-trippy nightmares where she pointed the finger of blame at Max, even for William's death. The bullying begun a short while after, slowly sending Max off the rails. Then, a few months later, things changed a little.

> _6th November 2009_
> 
> _Today, my life seems to have taken the hell that I've been going through for the last eighteen months and flicked it on its head. Today, a new guy started at school. Marty. Almost immediately, we've begun getting along like something else. Like me...and Chloe used to._
> 
> _I wonder whether she's found someone in life now? Or if she's even alive. I should call her, but after six months of static, she'll probably want me dead anyway._

Chloe skipped forward a few entries. They all read along the same lines anyway, mainly talking about Marty.  _Did she move on? Forget about me? Leave me in the past ?_ The hand that had been on her lap clenched slightly as her thoughts clashed again. 

> _11th January 2010_
> 
> _Marty is the first decent kinda person I've met since I left Arcadia Bay and wound up in this shithole. Today, I told him how I felt about Chloe._
> 
> _The best thing? He understands. He said that I probably feel like shit because I'm lovesick. Not in a nasty way either. He figures I must've loved her, even if I didn't realise at the time._
> 
> _Maybe that's what's been making me feel like shit for so long. Maybe, instead of being worried that Chloe hates me, it's just been that my heart is so beat up about leaving her that it's all I can think about._  

Chloe sighed, finding another tear coming to her eye.  _She actually loved me so young? _Chloe put a hand to her heart as it sunk in that Max hadn't just spontaneously jumped into her arms as a result of her showing up.

> _4th February 2010_
> 
> _Marty's been really down recently. I asked him what was wrong, but he just smiled and shrugged and said it was nothing. I've seen how those fuckers at school treat him though. How they treat him because they know he's almost all I've got here._
> 
> _10th April 2010_
> 
> _Marty wasn't in school today. I texted him, because I figured he was just ill. He says he's alright though. The usual people took fill advantage of it. 'Maybe you've given him your sickness.' 'Maybe he's moved school to get away from your shittiness as a person.'_
> 
> _Oh, how I wish I could do something about them. But, their parents are all so well-to-do, like fucking regality. And I'm a pauper, the court jester._

>  5 _th May 2010_
> 
> _Marty wasn't in again today. He's really been off-tone ever since he came back last month. Something's not right but I not totally sure what it is. I hope it's not because of these fuckers, the way they'be been treating him is criminal._
> 
> _7th May 2010_
> 
> _When Mrs Greenan was calling the register in class today, she didn't call out Marty's name. In fact, when she reached his name, she looked somewhat distressed. Only for a second, but I saw it on her face._
> 
> _I'm going to Marty's house tonight. I need answers. I need to know what's happened to him._

Chloe stopped before turning over to the next page, a sick feeling of dread lodged in her stomach.  _I think I know what comes next._ Bracing herself, she turned the page.

> _8th May 2010_
> 
> _I don't even know how to put today into words, beyond "FUCK YOU WORLD". I found out why Marty has dropped off the face of the earth. Came up to his house to find the curtains drawn on all the windows. Stupid me figured it was a relative who'd died._
> 
> _No. He'd killed himself. His note... apparently, it was mainly to do with the fact that what those FUCKERS did to him had tipped him over the edge. One thing it said in his note was along the lines of an apology. To me, of all people, for not 'being stronger'. Yet he was the strongest person I've ever met._
> 
> _Naturally, his parents- no wonder he never let me come over when they were in, as they are ASSHOLES- jumped to the conclusion that I'd been involved. Threatened me with all kinds: beatings, reporting me to the police, and more._
> 
> _At least they don't know that. Not yet._

Chloe couldn't believe it.  _May 8th. That was the night of the Blackwell play. That_ _was the night me and Rachel started going out. Just as my life seemed to be getting better- albeit that week was hella crazy- Max's went the exact opposite way._

Opposite way indeed, as the entry from the week after revealed.

> _May 13th 2010_
> 
> _That's it. I am officially done with life. First Marty, now my parents. They're not dead, but they're treating me like a tool to get to the other. Vanessa even turned around to me with- and I quote- 'you aren't worth the fucking air you breath.' If that ain't a good enough reason, I don't know what is._
> 
> _At least I'll probably end up with Marty again. Or... Chloe. It honestly won't surprise me if I get to whatever lies beyond, to find her. I left when she needed me more than ever. It won't be a surprise either to find out she probably did this a few weeks after I left. Because I wasn't there._
> 
> _You know what? I deserve to be dead. Everyone and everything I touch seems to die. Even Lisa._
> 
> _So, not to sound melodramatic, but goodbye cruel shitty fucking unfair world. Max out._

It was six days between that and the next entry. Chloe guessed it must've been because Max was in hospital. Maybe even the ICU.

> _I am officially the most useless fucking thing on the planet. I failed at supporting my best friend when she needed me. I failed at being her best friend. I failed at fitting in here. I failed at saving the only person who mattered to me here. I even failed at fucking killing myself._
> 
> _Is there ANYTHING I can do right?_

Chloe closed the diary. "I'm sorry, Max." She whispered under her breath. She noticed that one of the back pages had been folded.

> _February 14th, 2011- (wait, she must've wrote this after I guess I passed out on the bed)_
> 
> _How can I possibly describe today? Well, here goes: having your estranged best friend call you up and berate you is one thing. Finding out they're sat outside your freaking house _ _which is like 300 miles from theirs!_
> 
> _So, yeah. I freaked out, shouted at her, and then tried jumping out the window to get away. Which worked... until my sense of direction led me into a dead end. Chloe looked like she wanted to murder me slowly and painfully, right up until she was about six inches away from me, at which point she just... dissolved. Into a mess of hug and tears. What the hell happened to her since I left?_
> 
> _Well, I found out a short while later. She apologised when we got home- still not sure why or for what- and from there, we ended up becoming us again._
> 
> _Oh. And Ina Morata. Man, was getting there funny. Definitely gotta have that photo to hand as blackmail. Chloe tangled up in her own idiocy makes for one memorable moment._
> 
> _...But, not the most memorable. During one of the songs, Chloe had a meltdown over how shit things are for her. Just as I'd managed to talk her round, who shows up?_
> 
> _Callum. Oh, I fucking hate that prick, for everything. He started getting up in our faces. Then he punched Chloe and threw her on the floor. That was the breaking point._
> 
> _I don't even know what came over me. The moment Chloe hit the floor, I just felt every bit of anger I had pent up, just ready to go. Boy, did it go. Straight into Callum's face. Somehow (hehe) I doubt I'll have any more shit from him. Not that I did after I left Shithole Academy._
> 
> _I guess, after losing her once, and seeing her in that position... I just wanted to give him some back. With extra servings for his lard-ass._
> 
> _And then... Chloe asked me out. Kind of. She was halfway through assuring me that my 'reshape Callum's face' outburst was okay in her books, and she let slip 'girlfriend'. She was flustered. My heart bounced through the fucking roof. I've been waiting for this moment forever. I almost thought it'd never happen, that she'd moved on- she even admitted she almost had- and yet, it happened. It actually happened!_
> 
> _So I said yes. Best moment of my life (even with almost being hugged to death), shortly followed up by breaking Public Dickhead Number One's face a few times over._

Chloe's smile was almost splitting her face as she replaced the diary and lay back on the bed, wrapping her arms over Max, who moaned slightly.

_I want this moment to last forever._

Slowly, Max stirred from her sleep with more groaning.

"Ugh... what time is it?"

"Eleven, ish."

"Day?"

"Uh, Monday. February 14th." Max flipped back over suddenly, almost twisting one of Chloe's arms as she went.

"Wait... it's..." Max's train of thought suddenly dawned on her as well.

"Valentine's Day. Holy shit."

"Well, what does my girlfriend fancy doing today?"

Chloe smiled, her previous plan popping into her head.

"First- I've got someone I think needs to be sent a message." Max frowned.

"Right, your other girlfriend." Chloe's expression changed from a smile to almost shock.

"No, it's not like that any more, I-" Max's expression revealed a smile under the faux frown. "Dammit Max, you're getting good at making me look an ass."

"Only because I know I'd wander headlong into the next set of innuendos you'll inevitably come up with. Besides, polygamy is illegal, not to mention frowned upon." Chloe chuckled at Max's sentiment.

"Damn straight. Now, come help me word this."

_Chloe: Oh, we're just fine here, no thanks to you._

Max looked at Chloe, quizzical. "You sure this is a good idea? I mean, it's not like you can stay here forever."

Chloe grinned. "Why not? Mom knows I'm here, and to be quite honest I've more here than I have at home." She glanced down at the screen, an even bigger smirk appearing on her face.

**Rachel: The fuck do you mean? Who's "we" and where the fucking hell is "here"???**

Chloe pulled up a picture she'd taken the previous day, looking out toward the Space Needle.  _Kinda stereotype photo to send, but it guarantees she'll get it first guess. Muahaha._

_Chloe sent a photo: skyline.jpg_

**Rachel: WAIT YOU'RE IN FUCKING SEATTLE? WHO THE FUCK WITH??**

Chloe smiled, as she brought up the camera again. "Say 'PIRATES', Maxi!" She cried out, as Max made a comical expression behind her. Chloe simply gave a wry grin and a finger to the camera as she took the photo, before sending.

_Chloe sent a photo: pirates.jpg_

It was a good couple of minutes before the next text came through.

**Rachel. Who. The fuck. Is that?**

_Chloe: Rachel, meet Max._

**Rachel: Chloe**

**Rachel: You cannot b fucking srs. After what _SHE_ did to you.**

Chloe put the phone on the bed, and howled in laughter at the last text. "Ah, how little she knows, huh."

Max chuckled alongside her, before looking at the phone. "Mind if I have a little fun with her?" 

"Be my guest." Chloe replied, gesturing at the phone to her side. As Max reached over, Chloe tickled her in the ribs. Max got her own back by crash-landing onto Chloe.

"Ow! Damn, when did you get so heavy?" Max playfully punched her in the stomach. 

"I didn't get heavier, you just must've gotten softer." She rebutted as she picked up the phone.

_Chloe: Hey Rachel. From what I hear you ditched my Chlobear anyway. Which, I should thank you for, I guess?-Max_

**Rachel: Fuck you bitch Chloe is MINE**

_Chloe: Was*_

"Um, Chloe?"

"What? Oh." Chloe looked at the messages Max had sent. Max blushed slightly.

"I  _may_ have just signed your death warrant a little. Or mine. My bad." Chloe chuckled as she ruffled Max's hair.

"No biggie. On the note of death warrants..." Chloe paused as she thought carefully about her choice of words. "...I went through some of your stuff while you were still zonked-out. Sorry."

Max gave her a somewhat dark stare. "Does the term personal privacy mean  _anything_ to you?" Chloe shrugged, raising her hands, palms upward in her usual symbol of resignation. 

"Well, you were being so cagey over everything that's happened to you, I just needed something. Some idea of what the fuck made you who you are. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the Max that left Arcadia Bay three years ago would run screaming for the hills over breaking a jerk's face every time, right?"

Max gave an irritable 'humph', as Chloe continued.

"Well, given what I turned up, I can't blame you for not saying anything earlier. There's only so much anyone can really go through re-living, before it fucks them up. Believe me, I know." Max's gaze turned roof-ward for a moment, as she sighed.

"Okay, you have a point. Still, dick move for doing it, but yeah. What I told you versus what's actually happened in my life is such a fucking huge jump in detail that... I guess I didn't wanna scare you off. I figured that going full-bore would make you run the other way." Chloe shook her head.

"Not a chance in hell. Like it or not, Max, you're stuck with me. Even if it  _has_ been three years since we last actually had each other. Besides, I got used to crazy shit last year, when I dealt with a whole lot of shit for my girlfriend- sorry, EX-girlfriend- Rachel". The correction made Max chuckle. Chloe smiled internally. 

_Well, that went better than I'd expected._

She frowned as her stomach growled. "Say, do you actually keep food in this house?"

Max smiled. "Just enough to live on."

* * *

The surprise on the faces of both parties was quite something, as Max and Chloe slipped down the stairs to find Ryan and Vanessa waiting. 

"Oh, you're both awake at last." The pair blushed slightly, not that either of their audience noticed. "You may as well sit down."

Chloe and Max sat down on the sofa, holding hands discreetly. After a few minutes of silence, Vanessa begun.

"So... I suppose Max may have told you that things in our household haven't exactly been calm for the past few months." Chloe tipped her head a little, not willing to explain that she knew more by having read the various papers in Max's room.

"Well, we've decided that it isn't fair on Max to have to suffer with it any longer. We already got in touch with Joyce, back in Arcadia Bay, and she's happy enough with the idea we've come up with." Max glanced nervously at Chloe, who returned the look. The two didn't speak a word, but knew exactly what the other was thinking.

_What's going on? What are they going to do to me?_

"Max," Ryan picked up Vanessa's line of discussion, "We've decided it would be better for you if you moved away from here. Joyce... she's offered to take you in. We're busy discussing with the relevant people at Blackwell, hopefully they can get you in there." Max squeezed Chloe's hand.

"Chloe, do you have any means of getting the pair of you home?" Chloe nodded, curtly.

"Yeah, why?"

Vanessa sighed. "Not to be too forward, but if you're heading back to Arcadia Bay any time soon, we'd like Max to go with you."

Chloe pretty much felt her heart stop for a moment. Mainly at the prospect of having Max move in with her pretty much  _straight away_ , but at the implications of that. Namely, one particular implication. Max could tell that much just by how clammy her partner's hand had become in the space of a few seconds.

"Uh... okay." That seemed to settle things, as the pair headed back upstairs to sort Max's things out. As soon as her door was shut, Max changed from silent and sombre to a mood of utter excitement.

"Holy SHIT! This is actually happening! It's actually happening!" She squealed, barely able to contain her joy. Slowly, her tempo wound down as she clocked the expression Chloe still wore.

"Is Rachel that big of a threat to us?"

Chloe pouted. "Her dad's the DA and she's in with all the Vortex Club assholes. I'm going to say... probably." Max was still smirking slightly as she flung items into a duffel bag. "What?"

"Well, it's safe to say that the two of us can take it. C'mon, let's blow this shitbox!" Max proclaimed, throwing one of the duffels at Chloe, who yelped as it knocked her off her perch on the bed and onto the floor. "Fuck, when did you get so fast at packing bags?"

Max smirked. "What, never tried to run away before?"She quipped, as she slung her duffel over her shoulder, took once last glance around the room and slipped off down the stairs. Chloe grabbed her bag and followed her. A brief, tearful goodbye and 'safe journey' wish from her parents, and the duo were out the door.

* * *

 

"Safe journey, my ass," Max muttered, remembering what Chloe's main mode of transport was. Sure enough, it still sat in the alleyway Chloe had ditched it in, save for a yellow ticket slotted under the windshield wiper. Chloe cursed s she threw it into the glovebox, which Max noticed was already overflowing with tickets just like it.

"Damn Chloe, that's a lot of fines." She chortled at Max's observation.

"Well, that's how I roll: wheels first, an embarrassing number of moving violations second. C'mon, let's burn before they change their minds." She turned the keys, being met by the whine of the starter motor fruitlessly trying to start the engine. She tried again, to the same result. 

"Fuck!" She growled, slamming a palm on the steering wheel. Max gave her a semi-amused look.

"Sure your truck will actually get us there?" She mused aloud, smug as ever. Chloe gave her an irritated glance as she popped the door catch.

"Ohh... just fucking wait, Caulfield. Just you fucking wait." She bluntly stated, darting out of the cab and flipped open the hood. Max could hear faint cursing and the odd blow of what sounded like a hammer- or a fist- on some part or another under the hood. Finally, Chloe seemed satisfied with her work.

"Try it now!" She called to Max, who slipped across to the driver's side.

"Er, are you sure that's a good idea with your head under there?" Max asked, in serious doubt of Chloe's plan.

"Ah, trust me, you wuss! It'll be fine."

Max shrugged, as her hand took hold of the key. "If you say so." She muttered to herself. She turned the key, and the whine of the starter motor was quickly overridden by the sound of an eight-cylinder engine that sounded as though it belonged in a junker's yard. And a lot of smoke. Chloe staggered back into view, face somewhat blackened, eyes bloodshot and coughing like a hag. She slammed the hood back down and stomped up to the driver's door. Max tried her best to keep a straight face as Chloe recovered somewhat, and flopped back onto the seat Max had vacated.

"Don't even fucking say it."

"What, 'told-ya-so'?" Max swatted back at her. Chloe gave Max a death stare, as a light flicked on in her head. An evil smirk came across her face as she took a hand, wiped some of the soot off her face and slapped it down Max's face, as she screamed in shock.

"CHLOE!" Chloe cracked up laughing at the infuriated- now slightly sooty- brunette in her passenger seat, as she threw the truck into gear and lurched onto the road, aggravating yet more drivers.

* * *

The radio blazed out another song that the pair mutually loved as Chloe guided the vehicle back down the streets toward home. Max had forgiven her after a dose of Chloe's almost hilarious attempt at puppy-eyes on her earlier. Max had slipped a hand onto Chloe's as the cityscape slid by slowly.

"I owe you, Chloe. I couldn't have taken any more of that."

"More of what?"

Max sighed again.

"More of this shithole. I think, If you hadn't actually came here..." Chloe looked toward her companion. The radio switched over from its music to the hourly bulletin, something about trespassers in the old Flour Mill on Harbor Island.

"I hear you, Max. I think if I hadn't decided to come here, I'd have ended up doing the same. But, we have each other now, and nothing can stop us." Chloe's eyes met Max's as they continued to roll along. 

"Yeah..." Max looked back to the road, a moment before her driver.

"CHLOE, LOOK OUT!" Max shrieked, as a semi-truck pulled out in front of them. Chloe stamped on the brakes, but it was too little too late.

"SHIT!" Their truck hit the side of the semi, instantly buckling the front of the obsolete truck and sending the pair sprawling toward the windshield as it shattered from the strain, the cab itself contorting. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Chloe struck the steering wheel. As she saw Max reach the windscreen, something crazy happened.

Chloe had absolutely no idea how, or why, but things suddenly went in reverse. Her vision slurred, like a half-broken CRT screen on an old VHS, tainted around the edges. It felt like someone had picked up a remote control and started hitting the rewind key on life itself. She returned to her seat, as the windshield rebuilt itself before her and the buckled lines of the cab restored themselves to their former . The movement picked up speed, moving faster and faster, as Max was brought back down from being half-out of the cab to her seat on the bench, her face still a picture of utter terror and fear. The semi reversed back into the side road which it had came from, as their truck wound down the street. Suddenly, everything returned to normal.

Chloe's truck screeched to a halt in the middle of the street, about three hundred yards back from where they'd hit the semi. She heard a horn behind her.

"Holy shit Max, what the fucking hell just happened?" She glanced over at Max, realising they were still holding hands. Max's felt cold, her pulse going crazy. She was pale as a sheet, a hand under her nose as blood poured from it, in such a way that seemed unnatural.

"Chloee...I...I don't feel soo..." Max mumbled, as she fell onto the bench.

"MAX!" Chloe howled in distress. She pulled off the road and onto the sidewalk, before cradling her in her arms, shaking her.

"Max! Come on, babe, please fucking wake up!" A little ways up the street, a car blared its horn as a semi driver pulled out of a side street, oblivious to the traffic stream. Chloe stared in disbelief.

 _"Alright you wonderful people, Dandy Dan here with the headlines this hour. Seattle PD are urging citizens to warn their children away from entering sites such as the former-"_ Chloe switched the radio off as she tried desperately to process what the fuck had just happened. Max was still totally out of it, but thankfully, still breathing. The blood that had been flowing from her nose had stopped, and she was regaining colour in her face.

_What the fuck. Did we... either I'm seriously tripping out, or we just fucking went back in time! Not by much, but... we actually time travelled! And it fucking saved our lives._

She took a nervous glance at Max, as she reached for the medkit she'd attached under the seat. A precaution after the events last year involving Rachel. She grabbed some of the cleaning wipes and removed as much of the blood as she could from Max's face, before taking off her hoodie and putting it over her cold and comatose companion. She set off again, making sure to pay attention to every detail of the road as she struggled to come to terms with what had just happened. One thought occurred to her, an hour or so later as they crossed the state line.

 _Of course. Max is out of it and I'm not. Maybe whatever the fuck happened back there is on her? Maybe. I'll ask her when she wakes up. I hope she wakes up, anyway._ She pondered, a still-nervous and uncertain glance at the brunette lying across her lap as they trundled onward, Chloe's only audible company her radio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I bet you didn't see that finale coming. It's a little shorter than I planned to go have it, but this length feels more natural and less forced than if I tried to slot some other events in elsewhere. Hopefully you guys get that.
> 
> Granted, I only had that idea recently. Hence why it is a little shorter than perhaps the rest. It felt right to bring Max's-"gift"- into play earlier than in canon, especially in the way it happens. Plus, it makes my life that extra bit easier for later, as now I don't have to try and find a point earlier in time for her powers to trigger. (They already did, duh).
> 
> As a result, I may well start writing the new story now. Seeing as how my train has broken down (well, my employers will just have to go with it...).

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was originally gonna be a one chapter oneshot, but now it's gonna be two. And maybe, I'm going to write an AU from this as a starting point. Not too sure yet. Anyway, this has been getting written for about a month (hence why I'm releasing it now, before AO3 deletes it tomorrow) which was interrupted by exams. I hope you like this first part.
> 
> In case you haven't guessed it from this and Lightning on the Horizon (my other finished work), I'm not big on Amberprice: nothing against Rachel herself, it's just that to me she feels a lot more of a negative influence than any version of Max could ever be. And as for William reappearing, it felt fitting, as in canon he seems to have a habit of appearing when Chloe is having a godawful time.  
> See you all again... well, whenever the heck I get my next chapter for this or A New Horizon written. Auf wiedersehn!
> 
> P.S: If anyone's got any skills for art, there's gonna be a few points where it'd be handy. I can't pay for anything for various reasons, but if it takes your fancy as something to do, then send a message my way and I'll let you know. (Also, if anyone fancies drawing that graffiti, it'd be helpful, thanks)


End file.
